US CDC ends emergency bird flu response as infections decline
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday it has ended its emergency response for H5N1 bird flu, owing to a decline in animal infections and no reports of human cases since February.
The emergency response was deactivated on July 2, the agency told Reuters, adding that surveillance and response for bird flu cases will continue under the purview of its influenza division.
The number of people monitored and tested for bird flu will be reported on a monthly basis, the agency said, adding that it will no longer report infection rates in animals on its website.
The virus has infected 70 people, mostly farm workers, and killed one person over the past year as it spread aggressively among cattle herds and poultry flocks.
Experts have warned that further spread of bird flu raises the risk of it becoming more transmissible to humans.
The current public health risk from H5N1 bird flu remains low, CDC said, adding that it will continue to monitor the situation and scale up activities as needed.
The country’s response to bird flu has faced several disruptions this year, including from staff exodus at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the Trump administration’s wider efforts to shrink the federal workforce and the government cancelling a more than $700 million contract awarded to Moderna (MRNA.O), opens new tab for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine for humans.
Bloomberg News first reported that CDC has ended its emergency response, opens new tab for bird flu.
Emergency activation allows for additional support for a public health response, including staffing and other resources, to increase testing, surveillance and communications during an outbreak, according to CDC.
The CDC H5N1 bird flu response was activated on April 4, 2024.
